John O'Dowd
Upper Bann · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“As I set out in response to the previous question, we have in place the vacant property rate relief scheme and the small business rate relief scheme, which are very successful. I set aside £10 million in the draft Budget for small business rate relief to be invested.”
“I am particularly keen to hear from those impacted by vacant commercial units and especially about how any phased increase can be implemented in a sustainable way that is fair, proportionate and sustainable within the tax system.”
“I outlined my intent to take that approach in my statement on 18 November, alongside the fact that reform of rating policy should support growth, make better use of property and ensure that the system is fair, proportionate and aligned with wider economic objectives.”
“The accelerator will operate alongside our highly successful Back in Business scheme, which has helped to bring over 100 vacant high street properties back into use since May 2024. Those issues have been the subject of considerable interest and comment in the Assembly, and it is right that we grasp the nettle now.”
“There are no circumstances in which a hard border would be good for the people of Ireland; it would not be good for anyone. Those who suggest that are being naive at best and dangerous at worst, in the sense of not understanding this society. <BR /> <BR />Rural communities along the border are one and the same.”
“This announcement represents the next step in that. That said, I also put on record my intention to strengthen support for small businesses. In that vein, £10 million has been set aside in the draft Budget to broaden the impact of the small business rate relief scheme in order to increase the number of businesses that can benefit from it.…”
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“I have had no discussions with the Minister for Communities on that matter. Funding was allocated on the basis of a call that went out to Departments. In fairness to all Departments, there had to be a very quick turnaround because the money came to us at very short notice from the Treasury. However, it will be for Departments to allocate that money where they feel that there is the most need.”
“In the immediate aftermath of the storm, my predecessor had discussions with the Secretary of State. I will continue to have discussions with both the Treasury and the Secretary of State, and, as the true costs of the storm emerge, I will assess whether it is appropriate to make a reserve claim to the Treasury for those costs. At this stage, I do not have all the figures because Departments are still involved in the clean-up. Once those figures become available, I will assess whether it is the right thing to do or whether we can cover those costs with any underspend that there is in Departments as we head towards the end of the financial year.”
“The Department of Justice will receive £1 million for additional policing costs as a result of the police assisting other emergency service partners in the repair of damage to infrastructure across the region. Although the assessments of the true cost of the storm are yet to be fully quantified, given the unprecedented scale of storm Éowyn, the available funding was allocated quickly to Departments to help them respond to its impact.”
“The Executive agreed to allocate £17·4 million to help Departments deal with the impact of storm Éowyn. The Department for Communities will receive £1·4 million towards a range of pressures, including the emergency financial assistance scheme. The Department of Education will receive £3 million for school building repairs. The Department of Health will receive £4 million towards repairs to physical damage to the health and social care estate and the public safety estate. The Department for Infrastructure will receive £8 million towards a range of pressures, including those from the cost of repairs, remedial action, lost income and the provision of alternative water supplies.”
“I feel as though I have gone back in time. I am now the Minister of Finance; that is for the Minister for Infrastructure. Those are decisions for the Department for Infrastructure. As an Executive, where we can, we want to see revenue raising form a part of each of our Departments in a fair and equitable manner that helps to drive forward the economy. Individual decisions for Ministers are individual decisions for Ministers.”
“My predecessor, Dr Archibald, commissioned Ulster University to look at the cost of doing business. I look forward to receiving the report and examining the evidence base in it. It is important that, as my predecessor did, we gather evidence and move forward on that basis. We have to collect data and be data-driven. Evidence-based and data-driven decisions will continue in my Department.”
“I am not sure, but the funding is currently around £2,500, I think. I can supply the correct figure to the Member, but it is somewhere in that region. That money is given to Stonewall each year for services and advice to the Department. As with all advice, the Department does not have to take it on board, but we are a fair employer and an inclusive Department. We want to see a workforce that has all its rights and entitlements in place. We take advice from a number of sources. As I said, we do not always have to take the advice on board, but it is important that we reach out to a wide range of organisations for it.”
“The support for domestic ratepayers is wide-ranging. It includes housing benefit for non-working-age citizens; low-income rate relief for non-working-age citizens; lone pensioner allowance for those over the age of 70; farmhouse allowance; the exemption for a clergyperson; early payment discounts; landlords' allowance; and empty property rates, to name just a few. I am happy to supply the Member with a complete list of all the support that is available for domestic ratepayers.”
“The Member will be aware of the work of the Fiscal Commission. It is continuing its work to gather evidence on Barnett consequentials and how this place should be funded. I would like one of that body's next phases of work to be looking at how we devolve further taxation powers to the Executive. In doing so, we will have to examine the implications of those taxation powers and how we use them. As with most of the limited taxation powers that we have, such as rates, all those matters will eventually go through the Assembly for a vote.”
“Public consultation is one of the fundamental steps in ensuring that any proposed measures are fair and equitable. My Department is engaging in a process of consultation on domestic policy proposals, building upon last year’s work. That launched on 29 January and is accompanied by associated impact-screening work. The proposals aim to make the domestic system fairer and more progressive. My Department is working on a strategic roadmap for rating. In 2025-26, that work will focus on the non-domestic side of the tax and how that system can also be made fairer. Other revenue-raising measures in government, outside the remit of the Department of Finance, are the responsibility of individual Departments. It is, however, my expectation that Departments will take appropriate impact assessments as part of their scoping analysis.”
“Members will be aware that, as a result of the work of my predecessor and others, the Executive have spending at the 124% needs-based factor, which is applied to the Barnett consequentials. The application of the 124% needs-based factor in the interim fiscal framework has resulted in an additional £431·4 million of funding through the Barnett formula for the Executive. That alone has provided an additional £184 million to Executive funds this year, so it has been significant. On next year's spend, at this stage, it has provided £247·6 million for the 2025-26 Budget.”
“Instability in politics certainly does not help in delivering our public services or any cause. We should all be focused on honouring and delivering the agreements that we have signed up to and which created this place. That will give us the best course for stability.”
“The quicker that that announcement is made, the quicker we will be allowed to set a positive pathway for our public services.”
“The Member will be aware that the Programme for Government will be set by the Executive. I look forward to the publication of that important document. However, that process does not prevent, and has never prevented, the Executive from publishing a multi-year Budget. We have to align with the Treasury spend. If Treasury sets a spending review for one year, I am legally obliged to bring forward a Budget to the House for one year. Thankfully, all indications are that the spending review is going to be multi-year. I think that that is going to be a game changer for the Executive, all our Departments and the delivery of public services. I hope that we see increased spending as a result of the spending review, and not further cuts to public spending.”
“Given that the Treasury's spending review will provide the Executive with funding for a three-year period — 2026-27 to 2028-29 — for resource DEL, and four years for capital DEL, I intend to set multi-year Budgets to reflect that time frame.”
“The previous time that the Executive were in a position to set a multi-year Budget was for the 2011-15 Budget. The Executive can only set a Budget to reflect the period covered by the spending review announced by the Treasury. That is why there are single-year Budgets for 2024-25 and 2025-26. The next phase of the Treasury spending review is expected to be announced in June 2025. It will set the Executive's funding envelope for day-to-day expenditure, which is known as the resource departmental expenditure limit (DEL), from 2026-27 to 2028-29. There will be an additional year for capital DEL, which funds investment in assets. That brings it up to 2029-2030.”
“I am sure that, as Chair of the Finance Committee and leader of the Opposition, the Member is aware that the Executive cannot set a multi-year Budget in the absence of a multi-year spending review by Westminster.”
“I look forward to the Supply resolution debate, following which I will introduce the Budget Bill later today. As Members are aware, the Bill will be debated tomorrow, 18 February. The Bill provides legislative cover for all three Supply resolutions. Should the Bill proceed as planned, it is anticipated that it will receive Royal Assent by late March 2025, which will ensure that services continue to be funded for the remainder of the financial year.”
“I have also provided a Statement of Excesses for the 2023-24 year, also laid on 10 February 2025, which implements recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The PAC's report on Excess Votes for 2023-24, published on 14 November 2024, provides more detail on its findings. The Excesses included in the Statement of Excesses document provided arose as a result of breaches of budget control limits or cash limits for the 2023-24 financial year. That expenditure now needs to be regularised by the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />I am keen to finalise spending plans for 2024-25 and put them on a legal footing. I therefore request Members' support for the resolutions on the spring Supplementary Estimates for 2024-25, the Vote on Account for 2025-26 and the Statement of Excesses for 2023-24.”
“My Department currently monitors reliance on sole authority by seeking quarterly updates, and I am pleased to announce that progress has been made, with enabling legislation planned for 2025 in many areas. <BR /> <BR />In addition to the spring Supplementary Estimates for 2024-25, a Vote on Account 2025-26 document has been prepared. The Vote on Account provides Departments with the authority to utilise resources and access the cash necessary to continue to deliver services until work on the 2025-26 Main Estimates and associated Budget (No. 2) Bill has been completed. The Vote on Account for 2025-26, which was laid on 10 February 2025, is routine and equates to approximately 45% of the 2024-25 provision.”
“It should be noted that the headroom in the Estimates gives the Executive the ability to spend any funding yet to be allocated on priority areas to ensure that no resources are lost to the block. Departments are, of course, still constrained by their Budget allocation until further Executive approval has been obtained. <BR /> <BR />The spring Supplementary Estimates also incorporate areas of expenditure or income relying on the sole authority of the Budget Act. That is where the authority of statutory powers has not yet been obtained through legislation. Managing public money guidance provides for that as an interim measure, enabling expenditure until such powers are in place.”
“In addition, Treasury later advised that following an in-depth analysis of the programme level changes in the Westminster Supplementary Estimates, the Executive could receive additional resource DEL in 2024-25. Headroom was also required to take account of that further late change. Table 5 of the spring Supplementary Estimates shows the remaining headroom beyond the Executive's 2024-25 final plan included in both the Estimates and the associated Budget Act. A total of £183 million headroom has been incorporated into the Estimates. That headroom was calculated based on a variety of pressures, including unmet bids following January monitoring and pressures following storm Éowyn.”
“Bids for day-to-day resource departmental expenditure limit (DEL) funding outstripped the funding available almost six times over, and there was three times as much in capital bids as there was funding available. In normal circumstances, the spring Supplementary Estimates and the associated Budget Act would be written to the outcome of the Executive's in-year monitoring rounds during 2024-25, but, in agreeing January monitoring allocations, the Executive agreed that Departments could be provided with headroom where required, should further underspends emerge in the final months of the financial year. I have asked Ministers, if they have reduced requirements, or if any are identified, to notify my Department as early as possible so that potential reallocation may be considered.”
“The Supply resolutions for the 2024-25 spring Supplementary Estimates presented before the House relate to the final planned position that was agreed by the Executive on 16 January 2025. I am therefore seeking the Assembly's approval for Departments and other public bodies' changes as described in the spring Supplementary Estimates 2024-25 document that was laid in the Assembly on 10 February 2025. <BR /> <BR />Following Executive agreement, my predecessor, Dr Caoimhe Archibald, provided a written ministerial statement notifying the Assembly of the outcome of the Executive's January monitoring exercise, which was the final monitoring round of the 2024-25 financial year. Demand for allocations once again significantly outstripped the funding available.”
“As you have set out, the debate covers the three Supply resolutions for the spring Supplementary Estimates (SSEs) 2024-25, which cover the current financial year, the Vote on Account for 2025-26 and a Statement of Excesses for 2023-24, all of which are associated with the Budget Bill that will be introduced later today. As Members will be aware, Budgets, which set the Executive's spending plans, do not, in themselves, give Departments the legal authority to draw down cash or use resources. That is done through the Assembly approval of Estimates and the associated Budget Bills. The Main Estimates for the 2024-25 financial year were presented to the Assembly and approved on 1 July 2024. Supplementary Estimates seek the approval of funds for changes required since the Main Estimates were agreed for the same financial year.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“Let us do our job and stop passing motions without doing anything about it.”
“That is the best way to maximise the impact of our spending in order to deliver on our Programme for Government and our plan and to make real changes for the people whom we all represent.”
“<BR /> <BR />Looking forward, we will continue to build on the cooperation that there has been so far in order to deliver better infrastructure and public services for all our citizens. Growing the all-island economy through deeper North/South cooperation will increase prosperity right across and benefit all parts of the island. In these times of limited resources, we must continue to work in partnership and collaboratively with the Irish Government to exploit existing opportunities. I am committed and look forward to continuing to deepen our relationship across the island, formally through the NSMC and informally. In doing so, we can better coordinate our efforts to invest in public services and delivery across the island.”
“<BR /> <BR />In closing, let me say that I have set out how Ministers have been meeting regularly on a North/South basis since the institutions were restored this time last year, including via the North/South Ministerial Council. There are strong examples of how Departments are working together to deliver better outcomes on a cross-border and all-island basis. Again, just last week, First Minister Michelle O'Neill held discussions with the Taoiseach and Tánaiste not only on the storm but on the importance of delivering transformative projects, such as the A5 and Casement Park, which have the potential to bring real, lasting change to communities across the island.”
“That is an exciting development, and their report clearly demonstrates the interdependence of the all-island economy and how we benefit from having close economic relationships on these islands and internationally. The new economic model will improve our understanding of how the economy here operates and help to give us a deeper insight into how much we can target investment and growth. I look forward to seeing how the model is used and evolves over the coming years. My officials, along with officials from the Department for the Economy, are engaging with the researchers to establish how we can harness the model to inform considerations in that regard. The new model really helps to show why North/South cooperation is so important.”
“As we strive to do what matters most, we must be mindful of opportunities to maximise value wherever we share common goals that are aligned or complement each other and build on the existing strong joint working. The draft Budget for 2025-26, which, as Members know, is out for consultation, sets out the suggested funding that is available to Departments to do that next year. Unfortunately, the fiscal position is highly constrained because of decisions taken elsewhere. That only strengthens the need to exploit existing opportunities for greater collaboration. <BR /> <BR />I noted Members' reference to the new macroeconomic model, which was produced jointly by the Economic and Social Research Institute and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.”
“That will strengthen all-island coordination and all-island research and increase scale through inter-agency collaboration. The Department of Education's RAISE programme is another example of how collaboration across the island supports people in the areas of most need. <BR /> <BR />The announcement of an additional €1 billion allocation from the Irish Government to their Shared Island Fund and the introduction of Shared Island targets for each Department in the South are extremely welcome. Looking ahead to the Chancellor's spending review, I am hopeful that new regional growth funds will be made available to our Executive, enabling us to unlock new investment opportunities. <BR /> <BR />We have an ambitious draft Programme for Government that sets out clear priorities and our longer-term mission.”
“That is green as in green not green as in green.”
“Cooperation on health provides an excellent example of long-standing cooperation, but the Shared Island initiative has unlocked further opportunities for us to work together on an all-island basis. <BR /> <BR />Departments already work in partnership with their counterparts in the South on many aspects of the Shared Island initiative, with some co-funding having been provided. The Department for the Economy works collaboratively with a range of Irish Government Departments on areas of mutual interest, including the single electricity market and on energy more generally. It is working closely with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to develop a new shared-island enterprise scheme that will focus on female entrepreneurship, cross-border networks, clusters and collaborative cross-border green investment.”
“That was enabled by funding allocations from government bodies, North and South, and it will be further enhanced by Peace funding. It is critical that we continue to engage and deliver through North/South cooperation in order to meet our shared challenges and objectives. An effectively functioning North/South Ministerial Council is essential to that work. <BR /> <BR />Many Members have touched on cooperation on health, including through the all-island congenital heart disease network, which is a single service for children and young people across the island that has been cited in the Irish Government's Programme for Government as an exemplar that could be followed when it comes to other healthcare matters. Other Members mentioned the North West Cancer Centre.”
“There are many other examples of what Ministers and their Departments are doing outside the formal North/South structures. For example, in my previous role as Minister for Infrastructure, I progressed the all-island strategic rail review with my counterpart in Dublin. That is an excellent example of how we can plan on an all-island basis. With sufficient time and funding, that should provide services that better complement the development of the north-west transport hub. We have recent examples of how that can work in practice. The increased frequency of the rail service between Belfast and Dublin is an example of how, under the current structures, we can work across government and across the island to connect communities, unlock economic benefits and have a positive impact on people's lives.”
“The North/South bodies, of which the SEUPB is one, are perhaps the most prominent examples of how cooperation can work and is working in practice, with each being funded by the Assembly and the Government in Dublin. We continue to work with the Irish Government through the PEACE PLUS programme, as we did through its previous iterations, to deliver transformative shared spaces and to strengthen cross-community and cross-border relationships. The Peace programmes have touched many areas of life here including health, the environment, the economy and transport. They have helped to deliver a new transport hub in Derry, which has improved connectivity in the north-west.”
“<BR /> <BR />In my predecessor's meeting with Minister Donohoe, they discussed the vital work of the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), which my Department sponsors jointly with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, and, in particular, how the €1 billion PEACE PLUS programme would be delivered across the North and the island's border counties.”
“Ministers and their officials have regularly engaged with their counterparts in the Irish Government to deliver for citizens, communities and the economy across the island. Last year, for example, my predecessor, Minister Archibald, had separate meetings with the Irish Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to discuss a range of important cross-border matters of relevance to my Department. She also accompanied our Minister of Education to the NSMC meeting in education sectoral format last year.”
“Cooperation is also important to growing the all-island economy that will deliver a better standard of living for all our people. We saw the importance of partnership working most recently when Governments North, South, east and west focused on urgently supporting the people and communities hardest hit by storm Éowyn. <BR /> <BR />Of course it was disappointing that the North/South Ministerial Council could not meet when there was no Executive in place. Since Ministers returned this time last year, however, there have been two plenary meetings, one institutional meeting and 10 sectoral meetings, not to mention the bilateral meetings that will have taken place separately between Ministers or in the margins of those other meetings.”
“I am delighted to be here this evening to address the House in my new role as Minister of Finance. I thank my colleagues in the Department for Infrastructure for all their hard work and assistance over the past year. I pay tribute to my predecessor, Dr Caoimhe Archibald. I am committed to building on the positive progress that Caoimhe made on our public finances. <BR /> <BR />I thank Members for their contributions to the debate. It should come as no surprise that I do not just recognise the potential of cross-border cooperation but see it as a vital element of our daily work. It is crucial if we are to improve the quality of and access to public services across the island, particularly along the border and in more rural areas.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“I will supply the Member with the most up-to-date report on the completion of that. Works can be delayed or cancelled as a result of difficult weather conditions, and last weekend's were particularly difficult. I will keep the Member up to date on the proposed finalisation of that.”
“Apart from one weekend, when they had to be cancelled due to adverse weather conditions, the works are progressing as planned.”
“I do not know the specifics of the area. The Member has corresponded with me on a number of roads in her area to raise concerns and suggest ideas on how we should manage them. All new developments in an area have to go through the planning process, as the Member will be aware. DFI Roads is a consultee in that regard. As developments increase in that or any other area, DFI Roads will make a consultation response on how best to manage the traffic there. I encourage the local council's planning committee to take on board what DFI Roads says.”
“That will be the primary prism through which I look at the matter when I come to make a decision. During the previous mandate, when the then Minister, Minister Mallon, called for evidence on the matter, one of the issues that the PSNI and others raised was ensuring continued road safety. Given the ever-increasing death and injury toll on our roads, I will ensure that safety is the major factor in any decision.”
“The Member is correct that I have launched a consultation. It is a genuine consultation; I have not come to a fixed position on the matter. I want to hear the views of the public, motorists, garage owners, insurance companies, the PSNI and others on whether we should move to a biennial service. One of the clear advantages relates to the pressures on the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) and how it manages an ever-increasing demand for MOT tests. It could also be a recognition that modern vehicles are better constructed, have more safety features and are, in many ways, more durable than the earlier models that we may have dealt with before MOT tests were changed to include the criteria that the DVA has now. There are a number of advantages, but the consultation is genuine, and I want to hear the views of all before making a final decision.”
“Without a doubt. Prevention is better than cure. That is one of the reasons why I am keen to ensure that our road infrastructure is properly maintained.”
“I am working my way through my entire departmental budget, both capital and resource, to see how we can divvy it up. The Member will be aware from hearing about them during Question Time of all the demands that are, understandably, on my Department. I am keen to ensure that our road infrastructure receives an uplift in its investment. It has suffered significantly over the past number of years through difficult budgetary periods. We are not out of that yet, but I have a better budget this year than I had in the previous year or the year before that, so I want to make best use of it.”